Community Projects

SMK Tinggi Kajang (Kajang High School)

Sept 2011

According to teacher advisor, Murugan, the 13 boys attending weekly yoga lessons in school are from a specially selected Form 5 class. Amongst them, it is known that several come from broken families, have no parents or have been neglected due to family circumstances, while the backgrounds of the rest are rather ambiguous. Whatever it is, it was very clear that these boys were sorely in need of attention and their future in the school was at tethers edge unless they themselves would change. The school board had concluded much earlier that they will take all measures possible to help these students pull up their socks in terms of their personal perception towards education, academic achievement and attitude. At that point before the yoga lessons commenced, it appeared that the boys were still not responding.

Since the regular yoga lessons in February, Murugan, who personally oversee the boys, gradually observed subtle yet remarkable changes in them. He expressed that it was sometimes quite difficult to pin point exactly what had changed but for sure the boys' aggressive tendencies in school have toned down. In the past, there would be fights even amongst their own friends in the pack, let alone their rivals. Their teachers can now say that the boys are able to hold learning attention during class in session and to top it off is the new found respect which they now display willingly towards their school teachers and elders.

"Perhaps it has something to do with donning on a different and proper set of attire for the yoga classes to learn yoga in school." he remarked, seeming to imply a shedding of the boys old selves to reveal the better self...